


Just Like That (Solace in Triptych)

by ShowMeAHero



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 23:40:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15617586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShowMeAHero/pseuds/ShowMeAHero
Summary: Taako has night terrors; he always has, he assumes he always will. Magnus gets better and better at helping him through them.





	Just Like That (Solace in Triptych)

**Author's Note:**

> This story emerged from prompts Jules gave me at 5am while still lightly buzzed, so, this one's for you.
> 
> The first part of the title was taken from ["It Will Come Back"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMhZ18EmlFA) by Hozier.

Taako wakes up standing on the deck of the  _ Starblaster. _

He’s baffled, for a moment, and feels this unsettling fear, deep inside of his chest. He feels terrified, feels like somebody is going to attack him, and he doesn’t know where he is or why he’s there, doesn’t know if he’s awake or asleep. He lifts one hand to look at it, and it’s shaking.

“Taako?” a voice asks beside him, and Taako jumps, clutching his hands to his chest. He scrambles for his wand, but he can’t find it, his hands slipping on his sleep shirt. He doesn’t have pockets — he doesn’t have  _ pants  _ — and when he looks up, he’s frantic, desperate. He sees a person, and he can’t identify them, so he lifts his hand and casts  _ Shield  _ around himself.

Taako stands there, one hand gripping the railing of the  _ Starblaster,  _ shaking like a leaf. He blinks, then blinks again, and when his eyes clear, it’s Magnus standing next to him. He’s in his pajama pants, no shirt, clearly recently woken up. His hair’s a mess, and his cheek still has crease lines from his pillow on it. He’s not moving, he’s just keeping an eye on Taako, leaning against the railing outside of the shield. Taako looks behind himself, but he doesn’t see anyone there. He trusts Magnus enough to protect him if he’s attacked, so he drops the shield.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Magnus asks, breaking the quiet. Taako shakes his head, then looks out over the edge of the deck, at the field around them. It’s still dark; probably still the middle of the night. “Oh. Night terror?”

Taako nods. He grips the railing, knuckles going white from squeezing it. He rubs at his face with his other hand, feels how wet it is, even though he doesn’t remember crying. He drops his hand, rubs it dry on his sleep shirt — it’s all he has on, just Magnus’ oversized tunic, falling at his knees, slipping off one shoulder. He still feels vulnerable, like somebody’s going to attack him, but then Magnus slides around behind him, presses his front to Taako’s back and holds him there. Taako relaxes a little, slouching in his grip. Magnus pulls one arm around to Taako’s chest and holds onto his shoulder, broad arm stretched across his torso. Taako lifts one hand to wrap around his wrist.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Magnus asks. Taako shakes his head.

“I can’t remember it,” he says, but his voice is scratchy and his throat hurts. He tries to clear it.

“I could hear you screaming out here,” Magnus tells him. “I don’t know how you got out of bed without waking me up, but you got out here before I could grab you. I should probably put a lock on the door that you can’t reach.”

Taako nods, half-listening. He keeps staring out over the field. With Magnus wrapped around him like this, he feels less like he’s going to be attacked, but still wary. The terror is still sitting like a rock inside of his lungs, making him feel tight, making it hard to breathe. Magnus drops his head down next to Taako’s.

“Keep breathing steady,” Magnus tells him. He straightens up again. “Feel my chest. You feel it?”

Taako nods again, because Magnus is deliberately taking deep, even breaths, his chest expanding and deflating against Taako’s back. Taako forces himself to find the rhythm of it. His free hand, the one not wrapped around Magnus’ arm, is still trembling against the railing of the  _ Starblaster. _

“Sorry,” Taako says, quietly. He almost doesn’t want Magnus to hear it, but of course Magnus does. Taako can feel him shake his head, can feel Magnus’ hair brush his cheek when Magnus dips his head down again.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Magnus tells him. “We all got stuff.”

“Well, this is stupid stuff,” Taako murmurs. Magnus squeezes him.

“It’s not,” he says, in that way he has of saying things that makes Taako’s chest clench up. “Are you still doing the breathing?”

“Yeah,” Taako answers. Magnus presses his cheek to Taako’s, resting their heads together. He drops his head down further to rest his forehead on Taako’s shoulder.

“I’ll never let anything happen to you,” Magnus tells him. “Ever. You’re my first priority, always. No matter what.”

Taako nods. The back of his nose is prickling, and his eyes are burning, and he can feel that there’s tears slipping down his face again, but he doesn’t say anything.

“It’s my job to defend you,” Magnus keeps saying. “To protect you. I’ll always do that. Even if it’s night terrors, or if someone’s trying to attack you, or if— If it’s anything. Anything at all. I’ve got your back.”

Taako turns his face into Magnus’, and Magnus kisses him right under his eye before standing up straight. Taako turns around and buries his face in Magnus’ bare chest, his warm skin, and Magnus just holds him there, grounding him, until Taako stops shaking and stops thinking that somebody’s coming out of the shadows and stops feeling the bone-deep terror that was coursing through his veins.

“Do you wanna go back to bed?” Magnus asks him, once he’s calmed down enough to make decisions. Taako shrugs. “Maybe you can meditate instead.”

Taako nods. Magnus pulls back a little bit to look down at his face. He uses the palm of one of his big hands to wipe tears away from Taako’s face, and Taako huffs a humorless laugh, turns his head away. Magnus takes Taako’s chin between his fingertips and tilts his face back.

“Don’t,” Magnus says. His voice is softer than it ever needs to be when the sun’s up. “Don’t do that. You don’t need to hide from me.”

“I know,” Taako tells him. Magnus lets go of his chin, holds his cheek in his hand instead, cups the side of his face in one broad palm. Taako leans into his warm touch, and Magnus strokes his skin, the rough pad of his thumb swiping in slow circles over his cheekbone, his fingertips rubbing the fine hair at his hairline.

“I’ll always be here for you,” Magnus tells him again. “I’ve seen it all, and I’m not going anywhere, you can trust me.”

Taako nods, and Magnus leans in, kisses Taako’s forehead, then tugs him in for another long embrace. Taako exhales shakily, a watery sigh of a sound that slips out inadvertently. Magnus rubs his back, combs his fingers through Taako’s hair. Eventually, he pulls back again, puts his hands on Taako’s shoulders and looks him over.

“Let’s go back to bed,” Magnus says. “I’ll stay up with you if you want.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Taako tells him. Magnus shrugs.

“What else’m I gonna do?” Magnus asks. “You’re my favorite person to hang out with here and you’re awake, so, let’s hang.”

Taako huffs a laugh, smiling a little this time, and Magnus turns, slinging his arm around Taako’s shoulders and pulling him in to kiss the top of his head. He ducks down and scoops Taako up then, and Taako laughs again: only once, but it’s something. Taako lets Magnus carry him back inside, through the cold, dark hallways, back to Magnus’ bunk, where they’d been sleeping before Taako apparently sleepwalked outside. Magnus kicks the covers back on his bed and lays Taako down, then climbs into bed beside and lets Taako shift around until he’s comfortable. Taako does, fitting himself against Magnus’ chest, his front to Magnus’ front. Magnus tucks their blankets around them and puts one arm around Taako, tugging him in, his chin on top of Taako’s head.

“How’s that?” Magnus asks.

“You’re so hot,” Taako says. Magnus’ body heat is outrageous, but it’s warm and that’s better than the cold, and his weight is grounding, so he just settles into it.

“I know,” Magnus says. “Thanks, though.”

Taako pinches his side, and Magnus laughs, shifting a little bit to avoid his hand. Taako’s chest aches just being here, because he just loves Magnus so fucking much. Usually it’s just kind of a statement of fact in the back of his head, along with all the other universal truths of his life, just a constant, underlying love that doesn’t really need any feelings to go with it on a daily basis. In moments like this, though, it rocks his chest, because Magnus just cares so  _ much.  _ He knows exactly what to say to Taako, knows exactly what to do for him, knows how to calm him down and knows what Taako’s feeling and can adapt to any situation with him. They’ve spent decades getting to know each other, and Magnus has spent every day figuring out exactly how to show Taako he loves him without needing to say it, and Taako loves him back for it.

“Thanks,” Taako says, softly, after a long while of quiet. Magnus hums a little.

“Why?” he says. His voice is a little deeper, rough with being drowsy. Taako places the flat of his palm over Magnus’ bare chest, feels his heart beat, lets himself be sentimental for a second before his fingers curl up. He half-shrugs. Magnus pulls him in a little bit closer.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Magnus tells him. Taako presses his face to Magnus’ chest, all warm skin and muscle and fat, and he sighs. Magnus doesn’t say anything, doesn’t ask to Taako to say anything. It’s one of the little ways he knows how to be in love with him, and Taako’s just  _ insane _ over him.

* * *

Taako wakes up standing in the middle of the woods.

He immediately reaches for the Umbra Staff, but it’s not there. There’s nothing there. It’s just grass and trees and darkness and silence. He whirls around, trying to look everywhere at once. He’s still in the sleep shirt he borrowed from Magnus, and he can’t defend himself, and so he backs himself up against a tree, so at least his back is protected. His chest aches, filled with an unsettling sort of terror. He can’t figure out where he is, or how he got here, or why he’s ended up here, but he can’t get rid of the feeling that somebody’s watching him, waiting to attack. He grabs the tree, the bark scratching up his palms, and his legs are trembling under him, barely holding him up.

“Taako?” a voice asks. Taako flattens himself against the tree, ears twitching down, pressed flat to his head. He waits, silent, holding his breath. “Are you— Is that you?”

Taako doesn’t move. He tries to will himself to stop shaking, presses himself closer against the tree, holds himself completely still. He grips the rough bark of the tree so hard he can feel blood trickling down his fingers and dripping to the ground. He hears the crunch of leaves, and he catches his breath again, loosening his fingers slightly so he can prepare a spell. A shadow appears in his periphery, and he lets go of the tree to cast  _ Fire Shield,  _ wreathing himself in wisps of flame. He holds a hand up and points at whoever it is, starting to channel  _ Fireball,  _ hands shaking as he does.

“Taako, don’t— Stop, stop, it’s me, it’s Magnus,” the voice says. Taako blinks, then squints. His heart’s pounding in his chest, but— Yeah. Yeah, it’s Magnus. Taako glances over his shoulder, doesn’t see anyone behind him. He drops his hand, lets  _ Fireball  _ slip away, but he leaves  _ Fire Shield  _ up. Magnus brings a hand up to try and protect his eyes from the light of the flames as he looks at Taako. “Hey. You okay? Something out here?”

Taako shakes his head. He looks Magnus over; it’s clear he just woke up. His messy hair is tied up haphazardly, he has a couple of leaves in his hair, and he’s only in his sleep pants. He’s got his hands up, palms out, moving slowly, like he’s afraid Taako will still blast him into oblivion. Taako trusts him, kind of; they’ve only just left Refuge, and after everything that happened there, it’s kinda hard not to.

“I heard you screaming,” Magnus says. Taako looks past him, and he sees Magnus brought a couple of knives with him, that he apparently dropped on the ground at some point. “I thought you were being attacked or something. Are you?”

Taako shakes his head again.

“Oh,” Magnus says. He lowers his hands. “Did you— Were you sleepwalking again?”

Magnus has caught him doing this before. Usually, Taako brushes him off, forces himself to go back to his bunk or to another room and just shakes apart under his covers, by himself, where nobody can see.

Taako nods.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Magnus asks. Taako shrugs. “Night terror?” Taako shrugs again. He finally lets  _ Fire Shield  _ slip off of him, and the flames stop flickering, so Magnus’ face isn’t glowing orange anymore. Instead, it’s just the two of them, in the cold, dark quiet of the woods. Taako feels something drip off of his chin, and he rubs one hand over his face, smearing blood and tears all over his cheeks. He goes to wipe off his hand, then remembers he’s wearing Magnus’ borrowed shirt, and he stops. He can see when he looks down at himself that he’s still shaking, unable to lose the feeling that he’s about to be attacked, unable to free himself from the terror pounding inside of his chest.

“Can I touch you?” Magnus asks. Taako watches him for a long, long moment, then nods, only once, hesitant. Magnus moves forward, then goes around Taako so he’s at his back. He pulls Taako against him, so his chest is pressed to Taako’s back, then wraps one arm around Taako, stretching across the breadth of Taako’s thin chest, and grabs onto his shoulder with his hand. Taako shudders, but he relaxes a little, some of the tension leaking out of him as he slumps against Magnus’ chest. His hand twitches, like he wants to grab Magnus’ arm, like he wants to hold on, but he remembers that his palms are bloody, so he stops.

“Is this okay?” Magnus asks. Taako nods again. He can feel tears still slipping down his face, but he’s feeling grounded, for the first time in a while. He doesn’t know how Magnus knew to do this, but it calms him a little. “Okay. Do you wanna talk about what happened?”

Taako shakes his head, because he doesn’t remember  _ what  _ happened, just that he woke up in the middle of the woods with a horrible sense of dread and fear filling him up.

“I’m okay,” Taako tries to say, but his throat feels like it’s been burned or ripped or something. He tries to clear it, but it aches.

“Yeah, I heard you screaming,” Magnus says again. “That’s why I thought— Well, doesn’t really matter what I thought. I don’t know how you got out of camp without me or Merle noticing, to be honest, but I totally forgot you sleepwalk, I should’ve been better prepared.”

“It’s fine,” Taako says. He’s staring at the leaves and pine needles and dirt under their feet. He stepped on a mushroom at some point, and it’s squashed near the tree, right in his line of vision. With Magnus against him like this, he feels safer, less like somebody will attack him while Magnus is watching him, but he’s still frightened, and he can’t quite catch his breath. Magnus rubs his thumb in a circle on his shoulder.

“Hey, dude, you gotta take a deep breath,” Magnus says. “Breathe with me. Can you feel it?”

Taako nods, because Magnus has started taking deep, deliberate breaths, big enough that Taako can feel when his chest moves against his back, and he tries to match it. His breaths feel familiar, even though they’ve never done this before. Taako keeps shaking, keeps trying to calm his breathing down. He tries to push away from Magnus, but Magnus holds him still.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Magnus tells him. Taako calms down a little again, settling back against Magnus.

“I’m sorry, this is just some bullshit you shouldn’t have to—” Taako starts saying, but Magnus shushes him.

“Don’t apologize, man,” Magnus says. “We’ve all got problems.”

“It’s stupid,” Taako says.

“Not if it makes you feel like this,” Magnus tells him. “I have nightmares, too. Not night terrors, but sometimes you just need… Like, comfort, I guess. Maybe we all do.”

Taako doesn’t know what to say to that, so he doesn’t say anything, but his chest clenches up anyways. Magnus has a very particular way of saying things that he believes deeply, and it always makes Taako ache a little.

“Are you still taking deep breaths?” Magnus asks. “Because you gotta keep doing that if you’re gonna calm down.”

Taako nods. Magnus seems to hesitate over something for a second before he drops his head down, his temple brushing Taako’s cheek as he folds himself around Taako, draping himself over every available bit of space. Taako exhales shakily.

“Is this good?” Magnus asks. Taako nods. “Okay, good.” He’s quiet again, for a moment, then he says, “You know I’d never let anything happen to you, right?”

“Okay,” Taako breathes. Magnus shakes his head a little bit, bumping into Taako’s head.

“Oh, sorry,” Magnus says. “No, I mean— More than that. Like, I’d never let anything happen to you.”

“You said that,” Taako tells him. Magnus huffs, a frustrated breath of a sound.

“I’d never let anything happen to  _ you,”  _ Magnus repeats. “No matter what. I’ve got your back, man. You’re good with me.”

Taako nods, the back of his nose prickling. He can feel tears running down his face, dripping off his chin. Magnus leans over and presses his mouth to Taako’s collarbone, and Taako shivers. Magnus pulls back.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t’ve done that,” Magnus says. “You’re in— You’re not in a good place.”

“Do it again in the morning,” Taako whispers. He turns around, and Magnus looks down at his face. A little furrow comes in between his eyebrows.

“You’ve got—” Magnus says, motioning up to Taako’s face. “Blood? On your face. And dirt.” He lifts his hand up. “Can I—”

“Yeah,” Taako tells him. It feels weird, that Magnus knows all the right things to do, all the right things to say. Even weirder is how not-weird Taako finds it. It feels  _ right,  _ like Magnus  _ should  _ know what to do, like he’s  _ supposed  _ to be doing this.

Magnus rubs his hand off on his pants, then brings it to Taako’s face, trying to wipe away the tears and blood and dirt on his face. He eventually just picks up the edge of the shirt Taako’s wearing and sweeps the corner of it over his face.

“You’re gonna get it dirty,” Taako argues, pulling his face away. Magnus reaches out and takes Taako’s chin between his fingers, holding him in place.

“Rather it than you,” Magnus tells him, then goes back to cleaning his face off. When he dubs it sufficiently cleaned, he drops the shirt, but keeps holding Taako’s face. His hand sneaks up, cupping Taako’s cheek, and Taako looks away. “Hey.”

Taako doesn’t look at him, keeps staring to the side, because he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to feel or how he’s supposed to feel, but his heart is pounding. Magnus’ touch is light, but he guides Taako’s face back up.

“Hey,” he says again, when Taako’s eyes meet his. “You don’t have to hide from me. I’m not upset or anything. You’re doing fine.”

“Okay,” Taako says. Magnus swipes his thumb under Taako’s eye, then his face changes a little, his expression getting a tiny bit more serious.

“I just want you to know that you can trust me,” Magnus tells him. “You’ll be safe with me. I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe.” Magnus smiles a little at him. “I’ll always be here for you. You’re my man, right?”

Taako huffs a laugh, and Magnus tips his head forward, pressing their foreheads together.

“Right?” Magnus asks again. Taako nods, moving both of their heads as he does.

“Yeah,” Taako breathes. Magnus stays there for a second, then stands up and pulls Taako in for a hug. The last of the tension seeps out of him, and he almost collapses against Magnus, holding tightly to him to prevent his knees from giving out. He lets himself keep crying silently, but his breathing is steady and his heartbeat is slowing. Magnus just rubs his back, over and over, in slow, steady circles, using enough pressure to ground him without trapping him.

“Do you wanna go back to the campsite?” Magnus asks. “Merle didn’t wake up when I left, so he won’t see you or anything, if you’re worried about that or anything.”

“Sure,” Taako says. He doesn’t exactly plan on sleeping, but he also can’t stand in the woods shivering for hours until the sun comes up, so he may as well go with Magnus. Magnus pulls back, and Taako almost trips, unbalanced without Magnus’ weight against him.

“You okay?” Magnus asks. Taako nods, but Magnus is still looking him over. “Can I pick you up?”

“What?” Taako asks, baffled. Magnus motions with his arms.

“Can I pick you up?” he repeats. “If you’re— I mean, you look like you’re having trouble standing. I can carry you back.”

“I’m good—” Taako starts to say, then stops, because he’s trembling and he’s still afraid of what’s in the woods and maybe this is his best opportunity to get Magnus that close to him. “Um. Yeah, sure, sounds good, go ahead.”

Magnus ducks down and scoops Taako up, holds him with an arm under his knees and another around his back. He stops to crouch down and pick up the knives he’d brought, stuffing them into his pants pockets before he starts heading back for the campsite.

“I’ll stay up with you, if you want,” Magnus tells him. Taako turns his face into Magnus’ bare chest. “Hey, it’s fine.”

“You don’t have to,” Taako says. “I’m good. I’ll meditate or something.”

“That’s okay if you want to,” Magnus says. “I’ll be up anyways. One of us should be keeping watch.”

Taako sees right through his bullshit excuse, but it’s also incredibly comforting that Magnus would do that for him even though Taako is perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

He gets them back to the campsite where, true to Magnus’ word, Merle is still dead asleep, passed out next to the cold fire-pit they’d made before dark. Magnus sets Taako down on top of his bedroll, then goes back to his own. He picks up Merle’s bag and digs through it before coming up with some bandages, and then he goes back to Taako, kneeling next to him and wrapping his hands up. Taako sits quietly, lets him do it. Eventually, Magnus finishes, then retreats back to his own bedroll.

The two of them sit up in silence for a little bit before Taako sighs and lays down, pressing his cheek to the scratchy fabric underneath him. Magnus stays sitting up, watching him, and Taako feels detached, like he’s going to float away.

“Hey, don’t cry,” Magnus says. Taako hadn’t even realized he had been. “I mean, if you need to, that’s fine. But you’re okay.” He’s quiet for a second, then he says, “I can— Do you want me to come over there? I can move my bedroll over there. If you feel safer.”

Taako doesn’t say anything, just half-shrugs, so Magnus gets up and drags his bedroll over behind Taako’s. After a moment, Taako shifts back against him, pushes their bedrolls together and fits his back against Magnus’ chest again. Magnus puts an arm around him, rubs his chest in circles with one big hand.

“You’re okay,” Magnus says, and Taako exhales, a shaky sigh. He feels confused more than anything now, because Magnus just seems to  _ know  _ what he needs, without having to ask or guess or make any mistakes about it. Taako’s terrified of it, scared of how he feels, scared of falling in love with Magnus, but at this point, he also knows it’s impossible not to. He can’t help it, literally; he can’t stop himself from loving him, because he already does. It feels like Magnus does, too, feels like Magnus just knows how to be in love with him, even though there’s no way he does, or should, or anything stupid like that.

Taako turns his face into Magnus’ arm and whispers, “Thanks.”

“No worries,” Magnus says. “You’d do the same for me.” He buries his face in the back of Taako’s head, and Taako can feel Magnus’ heart beating against his back. He tucks his hands up against his chest and settles into the embrace, lets Magnus calm him down, tries to ignore the feelings bubbling in his chest and buzzing around his head.

* * *

Taako wakes up standing in his kitchen.

He doesn’t know where he is. He doesn’t know why. He just knows something bad is happening, and he’s afraid, and so he grabs the closest thing he can find— a wooden spoon, as it turns out— and backs himself against the wall.

“Taako,” a voice says, and Taako’s head snaps around. “It’s Magnus. I don’t have anything in my hands, see?” Taako looks, and Magnus is holding his hands out, and they’re empty. “You’re safe. It’s 2:42 in the morning and you’re in your kitchen in your house in Raven’s Roost. I’m right here, Taako, you’re okay.”

Taako exhales shakily, nods. He drops the wooden spoon to the ground with a clatter. Magnus comes up to him, turns Taako around and presses Taako’s back to his chest.

“You’re okay,” Magnus tells him. He doesn’t ask what happened; this happens often enough that he knows it’s a night terror, that Taako doesn’t remember it, that there’s nothing he can do except be there and ground him and keep him from hurting himself or anyone else. He reaches around Taako’s chest, holds him close, folding himself around Taako like a big blanket.

“Sorry,” Taako says, voice scratching. “Jeez. Did I scream again?”

“A little bit,” Magnus tells him. “Sorry I didn’t wake up.”

“It’s fine,” Taako replies. He relaxes in Magnus’ hold, then turns, burying his face in Magnus’ bare chest. Magnus just rubs his back, strokes his hair, lets Taako listen to his beating heart and feel the even breaths in his chest. Taako matches his own breathing to the pace.

“Don’t apologize,” Magnus says, belatedly. “It happens.”

“It shouldn’t.”

“It does,” Magnus says, “and it’s justified. I’ll just move the lock on the door a little higher. Then you won’t end up out here. Okay?”

“Okay,” Taako says. Magnus keeps rubbing his back in circles.

“You’re safe,” Magnus repeats. “You’re here with me. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll never let anything happen to you, right?”

“Mm,” Taako replies. Magnus presses the side of his head to the side of Taako’s. Taako turns his face into Magnus’ cheeks, exhales shakily, closes his eyes. His hands are shaking, but he’s catching his breath.

“I love you,” Magnus says. “So much. I’ll never let anything happen to you. You’re safe with me.”

“Yeah,” Taako says. Magnus ducks down, scoops Taako up, holds him close and brings him back to their bedroom. He lays Taako down, then folds himself around him, boxing him in and rubbing his hand over Taako’s chest. He stops, now and then, over his heart, presumably checking how fast it’s beating. It’s slower every time he checks. He presses his mouth to Taako’s temple, and Taako shuts his eyes.

“It’s getting better,” Magnus tells him. Taako shifts, shrugging a little. “It is. Better all the time. I’m proud of you.”

“Okay,” Taako says. Magnus turns onto his side, holds Taako’s head in one hand, presses their faces together.

“Rest,” Magnus tells him. “You don’t have to sleep or anything, just, rest. I’ll be right here, so you’re safe. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

Taako doesn’t know when Magnus became such an expert at this, got so good at calming him down and settling him and keeping him that way, but he feels so comforted and warm and safe that it’s impossible to think about it any further than,  _ thank god he loves me, thank god he’s here, thank god, thank god, thank god. _

Taako doesn’t know how to thank Magnus, or how to express how much he appreciates this, or how to tell him he loves him in a moment like this. Instead, he turns onto his own side, folds himself into all of Magnus’ empty spaces, the two of them wrapped up around each other, locking limbs together. Magnus returns to rubbing his back, and Taako buries his face in the flesh of Magnus’ shoulder where it meets his neck and his chest, and he’s finally okay, finally grounded in this, this moment. Not where they’re going to have to die again, not where they don’t know who the other one is, not where they’re incomplete versions of themselves, but  _ here,  _ after everything, where Magnus can promise to keep him safe and mean it.

Taako presses the flat of his palm against Magnus’ chest, feels his heart pound, and leaves it there. Magnus nudges his head, and Taako exhales, huffs half a laugh, and Magnus pulls him in closer. He wipes his hand over Taako’s face, brushes away the tears on his cheeks, and kisses the top of his head.

**Author's Note:**

> I also actually wrote two books! It was a long road but, I did it! Ta-da! If you want to read either of them, shoot me a message!
> 
> I have a blog now to request imagines - I just like to make people happy. Submit requests [here!](https://imagine-in-the-fandoms.tumblr.com/ask)
> 
> You can follow me on Twitter at [@nicolelianesolo](https://twitter.com/nicoIodeon) or on Tumblr at [andillwriteyouatragedy](http://andillwriteyouatragedy.tumblr.com/).


End file.
